The government has announced it has signed a new partnership with Wayve, a British company that is developing self-driving vehicle technologies.
The partnership will focus on shared research that will support the ongoing development and deployment of automated vehicles.
It is hoped that the partnership will act as a catalyst for new investment, skilled jobs and long-term growth across the UK car industry.
A Memorandum of Understanding sets out how the Department for Business and Trade and Wayve will collaborate on research helping to take self-driving vehicles from prototypes through to commercial reality.
UK businesses are facing a “cost of business crisis”, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Its new cost-stack calculator shows government policy alone has pushed up an average firm's expenses by 70% over the past decade, adding roughly £827,000 a year in costs for a typical mid-sized business. About a quarter of the rise stems from the increase in employer National Insurance contributions, with the higher minimum wage and mandatory pension auto-enrolment also major contributors.
Under Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax, sole traders and landlords with income of more than £50,000 have been required to keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC since 6 April 2026.
